Locking means for operating-levers.



C. EVERS.

LOCKING MEANS FOR OPERATING LEVER&

APPLICATION FILED IUIIE 7. I9I3.

192,@5987?, Paene Nw, 21, 1916.

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narran citarne rarnnr @YB/US EVERS, F NEX/'V YORK, N.

Y., ASSIGNOR TO LIlDGEBfWOOD MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF NEW' YRK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

LOCKING MEANS FOR OPERATING-LEVERS.

Speccaton of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 2i, i939.,

Application 'tiled June 7, 1913. Serial No. 772,255.

To @ZZ whom @'25 may concern Ee it known that l, CYRUs Evans, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York city, borough of Brooklyn, county of Kings, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful improvements in Locking Means for Operating-Levers, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to new and useful improvements in locking means for operating levers, and more particularly contemplates means for preventing simultaneous operation of a plurality or group of operatlevers for controlling different parts or mechanisms, or parts of mechanisms, in such a manner that, when one of said levers is opto control its mechanism, another lerer of the group will be automatically locked o that it cannot be manipulated to control ts mechanism.

The invention is applicable to all types of machinery, includinga plurality of mechanisms, or operations, of such a nature that they should not be controlled or operated simultaneously, in order to insure the operations taliing place in proper sequence, or to prevent them from acting counter to each other with disastrous results.

The primary object of the invention is to provide a device of the character set forth which will be extremely efficient and simple in operation, and which will act with cer- .taintv in preventing the simultaneous opu eration of operating levers, or prevent the ope ion of one lever whileanother is in position to cause a determined operation of the mechanism controlled thereby.

The inventionconsists in the improved arrangement and combination of parts to be more fully described hereinafter and the novelty of which will be particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed.

l have fully and clearly illustrated my inn vention in the accompanying drawings to be taken as a part of this specification, and wherein:

igure l is a perspective view of two op`1 erating levers having my invention associ ated therewith. TFig. 2 is a view in side elevation, partly in section, of the same structure shown in Fig. l. Fig. 3 is a sectional view through the levers and showing the locking device in plan view, but showing both levers in locked position. Fig. a is a detail sectional view through the levers and showing the locking device in plan view in the position which the parts assume when one lever is being operated to control the determined operation, and the other lever is locked. lf ig. 5 is a reduced detail view in plan of a structure embodying my invention.

Before proceeding with the detail description of my invention, l desire to state that the same is not limited to use in any particular combination or mechanism, but is adapted for use in connection with any mechanism, or plurality of mechanisms, where there are operations to be controlled by the operating levers, which should be prevented from taking place simultaneously, and l, therefore, do not describe the invention in connection with any particular type of mechanism.

Referring to the drawings by characters of reference, l designates a supporting member, preferably consisting` of an l-beam, which serves as a support for theoperating levers and the locking means constituting my invention. rThe upper horizontal flange of this -beam is provided with a horizontal projection or bracket 2, and with horizontal brackets 3, 3, arranged on opposite sides thereof, and spaced therefrom to form guideways fl, il, for a purpose to be presently described. Supported on the said upper horizontal flange of the supporting member l, and spaced apart in vertical parallel relation, are two quadrant frames 5, 5 (see 5), connected at their upper 'front and rear ends by spacing pins or bars 6, 6. it their lower forward ends, the quadrant frames have secured therein a horizontally-disposed bearing shaft 7, upon which are fulcruined two operating levers 8, 8, the fulcriim point being located intermediate the ends of said levers so that they are provided their lower ends with members 9, 9, projecting below the fulcrum. At 8a l haveshown in dotted lines connections which may connect the levers 8 with the mechanisms or parts theyY are to control. As shown in the present embodiment of the invention, these operating levers are of the type operated manually by an operator to control the operation of mechanisms or parts thereof. As shown in the drawings, the levers are designed to swing in a vertical plane between the quadrant members 5, 5, and are limited in their swinging movement by the bars G, which operate as stops to be engaged by said levers -at their eXtreme front and rear positions.

l the upper side thereof,iis a locking member,

10 pivoted on a bolt 11 through the bracket 2,

consisting ofa plate extending vertically secured at its lower end by a nut 12, threaded on the lower endthereof. It will be seen that the pivot bolt 11 for the locking member 10 eXtendsat a right angle to the longitudinal aXis of the shaft 7, so that the locking member swings in opposite directions in a plane parallel to the longitudinal axis of` the shaft 7 toward one lever or the other. The forward end of this plate, or member, 10, projects beyond the fulcrum 7 of the operating levers, and'is provided with lateral projections 18, forming, with the body of the plate, locking shoulders 14 adapted to coperate with the projections 9, 9, on the operating levers to prevent movement of one of said levers from its forward vertical position accordingly as to whether said locking member is moved to the right or left, as will be presently described.

Y The ends` of the projections 13 are provided with engaging faces 16, 16, which are so located that, when one of the levers is swung on its fulcrum, the member 9 on the lever engages the adjacent engaging face to positively hold the locking member in locking engagement with the opposite lever.

The faces 16, 16, and the members 9, 9, areso proportioned that, when the locking meinber is operated by one. of the levers, the member 9 ,thereon will be in constant -engagement with the adj acent face 16 throughout the entire movement of the lever until it is returned to vertical position. This assures one lever being positively locked throughout the swinging movement of the other lever.

rlhe operation of the invention is as follows: Assuming that both operating levers 8 are in forward substantially vertical position, and that the plate 10 is in substantially the position shown in Fig. 3, in which the projections 9. on the lower ends of the oplever, will strike against the shoulder 14 and swing the locking plate 10 to the right erating levers. are both in rear of the locking shoulders 14. lf then one of the levers is grasped by the operator and pulled to the rear, say, the left-hand lever, as shown in the :gures, the projection 9, carried by said so that the locking shoulder on the righthand side lof the plate will be pushed in front of the projection 9 on the operatingv I lever which is not tobe moved. By `continued movement of the lever which is being swung'to the rear, the projection 9 thereon Will ride oft the shoulder 14 and will engage with. its side face the face 16 of the projection 13, thereby positively holding the locking plate in position to lock the right-hand -lever against movement as long as the lefthand lever is out of vertical position.v When the lever, which has been swung to the rear,

yis returned to its normal vertical position,

` the left-hand lever against being operated.

The side faces 16 of member 10 preferably iare toward the free end of said member, as clearly shown in Figs. 3 and 4, so that the face engaged by one of the llevers to shift said member to parallel to the face of the rst-named lever.

This is desirable so that there will be an eX- tended bearing face between the parts and no sharp projections which would cause objectionable wear.

What l claim and desire to secureby Letters Patent of the United States is 1. ln combination, a pair of operating levers movable in vertical planes, a locking member mounted on a vertical pivot between said levers and movable in opposite directions toward and away'from said levers re-..

spectively, locking shoulders on said member on opposite sides thereof .to coperate with the respective levers, and means whereby the swinging movement of either lever moves said locking member toward the other lever to cause one of said shoulders to lock said other lever against movement.

2. ln combination, a pair of 'operating levers, each having a member extending below the fulcrum thereof, a locking device pivoted between said members to swing in a direction lengthwise of the fulcrum, a pro jection on each side ofisaid locking device adapted to cooperate with the'said member adjacent thereto tolock the lever carrying said member against movement, and means whereby the swinging movement of one lever moves the device laterally to cause it to .lock the other lever throughout said swinging movement.

3. ln combination, a pair of operating vlevers, each having a member projecting below the fulcrum thereof, a locking plate pivoted between said members and having lateral projections on oppdsite sides thereof forming shoulders to coperate with said members to lock the levers against movement, said members on the levers and the projections on the locking plate being so arranged that the swinging movement of One lever engages the projection adjacent thereto lock the other lever will be' ieee-,ew

' arallel with saicl axis said late havin@ 7 D lateral projections on opposite sides thereof forming shoulders to coperate with said levei's to leek tHe levers against movement, and an engaging face on each projection adapted to be engaged by the adjacent levei1 when swung on its fulcium to hold the plate in locking engagement With the other leven thi'ougliout the swinging movement of said first-named lever.

ln testimony Wheieo l have lieeunto signed my name in the presence of tivo sul*u 2Q seribing Witnesses 1j/Vitlriesses:

M. E. MCNNOH,

TT C. Gr. nnirminm 

